Eric Harland has been described as the most “in-demand drummer” of his generation, and the numbers tell the truth to that thinking. Mr. Harland has appeared on over five hundred albums, earned multiple Grammy nominations, and is consistently recognized by major music press publications. His work ethic is quite clear; between his gigs supporting top names he had performed with at least four different touring groups — James Farm with Joshua Rodman, Prism with Dave Holland & Kevin Eubanks, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and friend of this proGram, Maestro Zakir Hussain, Overtone with Dave Holland, Jason Moran, and Chris Potter, and of course Voyager. Beyond the immense quantity is the quality and the breadth. Eric Harland has experienced music in many forms, in many cultures, in real time. When he contributes, his intention is to create the highest musical experience so that every listener may have insight into the musical moment. Eric Harland’s process continues with Vipassana II, an observation-based, self-exploratory journey, rooting the mind and body together in order to dissolve mental impurities and chaos. The desired result is to discover a balanced mind, full of love and compassion, for yourself and for the rest of the world. This is approached both on and off the drum seat. In writing and playing this music, Eric was able to deepen the interconnection between mind and body.
Vipassana II is made possible through the support of The Miner-Anderson Family Foundation, through Third Way Cultural Alliance.
credits
released June 5, 2026 on Ropeadope.
Eric Harland – Drums, Percussion, Keyboard
Big Yuki – Keyboards
Keita Ogawa – Percussion
Ben Wendel – Tenor Saxophone
Gilad Hekselman – Guitar
Harish Raghavan – Bass
All songs written by Eric Harland (except “Jean & Renata” written by Ben Wendel, “Nascente” written by Flavio Venturini & Murilo Antunes)
Produced by Eric Harland
Executive Producers: Robert Mailer Anderson, Austin White
Recorded at GSI Studios / Engineer: Josh Giunta
Mastered at G & J Audio
I had the absolute honor of getting some time to discuss this brilliant new record with the man who first experienced it, Mr. Eric Harland. We get deep into the journey from seed to flower. With an album of self exploration & reflection, the way the people working together to walk through its landscape have to find a way to click. We talk about the clicking in. Eric also walks through one of the tracks, the one that so far has been the one to hot me most….the story is real. You can tell there has been some brainstorming about a way to tour a bit with this album, for it, and we discuss some of those possibilities. Everyone knows how I feel about the folks within the Ropadope fam, so I made sure to see how this new relationship got legs. Compelling stories ensue, even a tale that includes working with Childish Gambino.
Cover Illustration: “When Covid comes Ashore”
by Sandow Birk, 2020, Acrylic on Canvas, 16″ x 20″
Private collection, Courtesy of Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco
